


dream a little dream of me

by rottinghottiez



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), captain amer
Genre: 1940s, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Captain America: The First Avenger, Fluff, Gay Bucky Barnes, Gay Steve Rogers, Idiots in Love, Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-World War II Bucky Barnes, Pre-World War II Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Slow Dancing, Steve Rogers-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 19:05:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18834847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rottinghottiez/pseuds/rottinghottiez
Summary: Steve Rogers was never the person to have things out of order. He knew what was going on, where it was happening, what he was doing - calm, cool, collected. Although, right now, Steve felt like he knew absolutely nothing, like he was stumbling blind down a path he swore he knew yesterday. And it led straight to his best friend.Otherwise known as they've been in love with each other this whole time, they're just cowards.





	dream a little dream of me

Steve Rogers was never the person to have things out of order. He knew what was going on, where it was happening, what he was doing - calm, cool, collected. Although, right now, Steve felt like he knew absolutely nothing, like he was stumbling blind down a path he swore he knew yesterday.

At the center of it all was the person he least expected it to be, his best friend. He always knew Bucky was different, that their friendship was different, he never felt the way he did with Bucky with anyone else. Yet, his current feelings stuck out like a sore thumb. He couldn't be around him without going red and feeling butterflies be let loose in his stomach. Bucky's habit of resting his arm around his shoulders set him on fire and he could only hope that he ever noticed. He had lost the control he once had over his emotions and he had no idea how to deal with that.

His feelings matched the way people always said having a crush felt but that should only happen when you see girls, shouldn't it? Sure, he did sometimes get a little flutter when a stunning dame walked by but that was never like this; nothing could compare to the jump his heart did whenever Bucky smiled or when he squeezed his shoulder as a wordless 'hello' as he walked by.

The competing issue in this was the fact that he couldn't get a girl if he tried. There was no ignoring the fact that he just wasn't desirable to the same women that Bucky always had swooning over him. Steve wasn't Bucky, he was scrawny and a bit too lean - skin and bones, his friend would tease, light as a feather. And that wasn't exactly wrong either, he wasn't one of the healthy, buff guys that got to go overseas, nowhere close. He didn't love it but he also didn't hate it at all, he knew his own worth. Bucky never failed to remind him that his heart was bigger than any girl could ever imagine.

And maybe that's why he was in his current situation.

It kept him up at night. To him, it was wrong, it was all wrong and he had no one to tell. Sure, he hypothetically could tell Bucky, but there was no guarantee that anything would go as planned or if he would still have a best friend at the end of it all and that was something he could never run the risk of ruining. It wasn't something he ever wanted to even think about ruining. Even after all these years, he could never fathom how something like this could impact them.

He decided to give himself a break, just one night off from worrying, Bucky was supposed to be going out with a chick he'd met a few days before which meant Steve could breathe. Or at least, so he thought. This was supposed to be his night alone where he didn't have to avoid looking at his best friend just so his heart would calm down, but, he really could never catch a damn break. Bucky came home and instead of heading into their room to change and then leave, he shot Steve a smile and informed him that his plans didn't work out so, it was just them for the night.

With his brain going at a million miles a minute, he simply nodded and moved over so their couch could serve its purpose and seat the two of them. Bucky reached over and ruffled his hair with a chuckle as Steve's cheeks flared up into a bright blush.

"I tried to call ya so I didn't just have to spring this on you but the line was busy so I just left it," Bucky started, making himself comfortable by leaning against the arm of the couch with his usual playful smile. "Now you're not even excited to see me, what's up?"

"Nothin', just had a weird day." He shrugged, looking over at him with a faint smile. Bucky looked him up and down before nodding and not questioning it any further than he needed to. Their small talk continued as it did every day when the brunet got home until they settled on who was making dinner and shifted their focus to that instead.

It was settled that Bucky’s turn to feed them both and as Steve took his usual perch on the counter, he took a second to figure out if maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe this was some way for the universe to say, 'Hey punk! Make a move!" That usual feeling of dread that came with privately confronting his "crush" chilled him to the bone but this time, it was overridden by a strange hope. A hope that maybe this is meant to happen and that he has to do something tonight or the window is going to close for lord knows how long.

His eyes drifted back to his best friend, who had turned on their small radio and was humming as he started to prepare whatever he had decided on. A smile spread across Steve's face as he simply watched him, taking a moment to lose himself in Bucky. In that moment, a moment where no one was trying to impress anybody, it was clear as to why it was so easy for girls to fall for him. It's not like this was his first time being a silent admirer, he did it all the time, whether he meant to or not. His cheeks went red and he looked down at his lap, subconsciously wringing his fingers as he took in a silent, deep breath.

"Hey Buck?" His voice was louder than he had meant for it to be but Bucky hummed in response nonetheless. "Well, uh, since you aren't going out at all tonight I was wonderin' if maybe... gosh, it's stupid."

"Spit it out, Stevie, I'm sure it's no big deal." His friend nudged gently, glancing over his shoulder at him with a smile.

"I was wonderin' if you could maybe teach me how to dance." Steve sighed, being hyper-aware of how hot his face was as he awaited an answer. "You don't have to, of course, it's just that I hate turning down girls when we go out together just because I can't jive the way they can."

The quick remark tacked onto the end of the statement conjured a light chuckle before Bucky nodded. "That's no big deal at all, it would be nice to finally watch you get a girl to stay with you for the night." He teased, causing Steve to kick him playfully in the back.

"Don't be a wise-ass!" He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as Bucky fully turned around to face him. The radio grew louder as his gaze, now pointed to Steve, remained. He made a noise in confusion before looking up from his lap to see Bucky holding out his hand, which in itself felt like a dream. 

"I'm trying to dance with you, ya punk." Bucky clarified gently, as if it were obvious, his usual playful smile making an appearance. Steve’s heart was beating out of his chest as he nodded and hopped off the counter, taking his friend's hand in his own. Nothing could describe the amount of dread he held in his skinny little body, anything seemed possible and that wasn't a particularly good thing. "You can get closer, y'know, I'm not gonna bite." 

Steve nodded quickly and cleared his throat, shifting closer to Bucky but still consciously keeping his distance as to not make the other man uncomfortable. Nothing felt real. For all he knew, he truly could have been dreaming, but he didn't want to be. Buck felt real, but it seemed too surreal - way too surreal. At the same time, all the worries he had bottled up for the past few years had melted away the second he finally had the guts to look at his best friend's face. The smile on his face wasn't one Steve had ever seen before, and he had known Bucky since they were kids. Something about it made his insides turn, making him keep his gaze on Bucky.

The living room of their small apartment made for their dance hall as the leader of the two took his hand and swayed them gently with his other on Steve's back. As they continued to dance, they moved closer together and the world genuinely seemed to drop away. It was only them- their closeness, their connection. Something was different but in a good way.

"I've never danced with someone before."

"Yeah, I know, Stevie. There aren't many nights where we aren't on a double date."

Steve looked down at their feet and nodded, kicking his shin lightly in response and smiling as Bucky chuckled at him. They lulled back into a comfortable silence as the songs continued playing from their cheap little radio in the kitchen.

"This is really nice, Buck." He whispered after a bit, keeping his eyes focused on their socks as they turned slowly in time with the song. Bucky hummed in response and moved back to create more space between them, just so he could actually look at Steve. There was a warmth in his eyes that he had never seen before. The stupid part of him wanted to call it love, not friendly love, but the kind of love that guys reserved for the girl they wanted to marry. Steve was neither a girl nor did Bucky want to marry him and therefore, he was perplexed.

Bucky nodded and carded his hand through Steve's hair gently before biting his lip, his vibe taking a spin from confident to unsure. They still hadn't stopped moving, their hands were still intertwined, and it was growing more and more obvious to Steve that his feelings weren't only his own.

"Do you ever feel like you've known someone forever? Like that one person is the only person in the whole universe, out of all the people you know and the people you love, who truly understands you." He whispered as if he was scared to say anything, like their moment could be ruined easily by a slip of the tongue from either of them. "And that one person... gosh, that one goddamn person, just has this power-"

"What kinda power?" Steve asked, earning a glare and smile from Bucky.

"Ya didn't let me finish," He chuckled as he flickered his gaze to the floor before bringing it back to Steve. "This one person who makes you feel whole. They possess this power that makes you feel like you're at home no matter where you are... and no matter how much you push against it, you end up getting stuck on them."

"Yeah, I feel like I have that person." He nodded as Bucky let out a short breath in relief. "I really never thought I'd ever see the day that James Buchanan Barnes was flustered over girls." The joke left his mouth before he even thought about it and Bucky's eyebrows automatically went up before he simply cleared his throat and nodded to answer the statement. "You aren't talking about a girl, are you?" Steve asked, moving back towards him and resting his head on his chest as they swayed, albeit a bit less fluidly than before since the other had gone a bit rigid.

Bucky shook his head and slipped his arm loosely around Steve's waist once again. "I was... I was talking 'bout you, you dope." The statement came out as more of a sigh than anything else and Steve didn't quite know how to respond. It was clear as day that their feelings were mutual yet he had no idea how to open that can of worms, in fact, neither of them did. His words hung in the air for a second before Steve smiled and pulled his face away from Bucky's chest to look at him. 

"Yeah, I was talking about you too." He admitted, reveling in the way his eyes lit up in shock. Before he had time to say anything else, Bucky pulled him into a tight hug and he couldn't do anything but return it. 

"Why didn't you ever say somethin'?!"

"Because s'not a normal thing, Buck, I had no idea how you would react or if it would ruin our friendship. Tonight was just really like a now or never sort of thing, y'know, like the universe handed me this chance to finally tell you everything but I had no idea how so I... I just asked you to dance."

"You're such a dope." Bucky sighed, resting his chin on Steve's head as they simply took in each other's company. This, of course, wasn't the first time they'd ever hugged but there was something new about them being so close that neither knew how to identify. He squeezed Steve lightly before loosening his grip on the smaller man and looking down on him, pecking his cheek swiftly.

Steve’s cheeks were automatically in flames as he looked at Bucky in shock, a hand raising to the spot that he had decided to kiss. Soon enough, the shock melted out of his features to leave a lovestruck smile behind in its wake. "You're too good to be true, Buck." His words hung in the air for a second before he finally got his timid reply.

"Hey Steve?"

"Mm?"

"Can I do something just a little bit more bonkers?"

"What are you getting at, Barnes?" Just as the words left his lips, Bucky tilted his head up by the chin gently and pulled him into a shy kiss. Steve stood stiff before melting into it and returning the favor, although he was painfully less skilled. It felt like they were the only people in the universe, as if it were just them and this kiss - a kiss they had obviously both wanted for a while, taking from how starved they had seemed when their lips finally touched.

Steve got onto his toes in order to be about Bucky's height before wrapping his arms around his neck and losing himself in their kiss as their shyness turned into deep passion. They were each hyper aware of every touch, every breath, and every movement the other made until they finally pulled away from each other. The impossible was now possible and they both realized that and, without saying anything, simply looked at each other with the same dopey look plastered across their faces. Bucky brought a hand to the shorter man’s cheek and opened his mouth to speak with no idea what he was going to say now that he had done that.

“Now do ya know what I was getting at, pal?” He asked with that charming smile of his, the same one that made Steve realize he was in love with the guy. The question only earned a nod in response as his best friend was still caught up in the fact that that had all just happened. His mental play by play was that Bucky Barnes had kissed him after dancing with him but that was too good to be true therefore, as any rational person would do, he pulled him back down into a far more confident kiss just to be sure it wasn’t some illusion he made up to satisfy himself.

Now, he couldn’t say what he was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t for Bucky to kiss back with the same amount of confidence. It made for a moment neither of them ever wanted to stop living in, simply taking in everything about the other. Steve pulled away soon enough and let out an astonished scoff, looking up at Bucky with wide eyes. 

“I’ve been in love with you since the day I met you, Bucky, I hope you realise that.” He blurted out, not knowing how to follow up a kiss like that from the boy he had been pining for since they were twelve - even if he didn’t notice it way back when. Bucky sighed happily and pecked his lips, half because he just wanted to and half because he just wanted to see if Steve's cheeks could get any redder (the answer was yes and they did).

"What the hell are we doin', Rogers?" The question was quiet, kind, and sincere - the answer, on the other hand, was unknown. Steve looked at him and furrowed his brows in confusion. 

"I don't know yet but I hope it's something good?" He replied hesitantly, running his fingers through Bucky's hair and looking up at him with a hopeful smile. Bucky made everything seem okay even if somewhere deep down he knew this could be the worst thing they'd ever done. "My ma always said that love never makes much sense."

"A wise lady… I think she's right Stevie, none of this makes a lick of sense, but, I do know that I love you. I've loved you since I was old enough to understand what the word meant outside of family, there's just something about you that's so goddamn special," He sighed, taking one of Steve's hands in his own and squeezing it gently. "Even if you don't see it, I do. Now, what d'ya say I finish making our sandwiches, we eat, and we maybe dance s'more, sweetheart?"

"Sounds great, I'll let you finish, Buck." Steve hummed, separating himself and watching as Bucky walked into the kitchen before sitting himself down on the couch and stealing a glance at him with a light sigh. The air in their apartment was loving and soft, Steve could breathe, and suddenly, everything seemed brighter than it ever had been.

Sure, they had a lot to talk about and even more to somehow work out but for tonight, he just wanted to dance with Bucky- he wanted to feel his lips on his own until he didn't know any other feeling. And that worked for both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> hey! I've never actually posted a work on here before so this is a new one!! feel free to leave a comment or a like or anything of the sort, its bound to make my day :D
> 
> check out my stevebucky playlist on [spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5XiepcHyAtnFg9jryNxEQM)
> 
> check out my [twitter](https://twitter.com/gaybuckyrights)


End file.
